1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to slide projectors and, in particular, to slide projectors having a rotary tray for retaining slides during the projection operation. The invention also provides a projector using a fixed, semicircular tray to hold slides.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Following the invention of the positive transparency, there have been a multitude of various systems proposed to view the image on the positive transparency. Positive transparencies are known more popularly as slides. In fact, at present, slides are among the most popular forms of amateur photography. Along with this popularity, there are numerous systems commercially available to project the image of the positive transparency onto a screen, or the like, for viewing.
While certain of the presently available slide projectors employ the force of gravity to perform a portion of the slide transfer operation, none of these slide projectors can transfer a slide form a slide magazine to a projection lens and back to the magazine using only the forces of gravity. Moreover, in any mechanical system requiring an electrically-driven linkage to move elements, which are as small as a photographic slide, and having loose mechanical manufacturing tolerances, binding of the linkage and/or the slide is almost certain to occur. In fact, this is a significant problem in many slide projectors, i.e., that the slides tend to hang up in the magazine or in the changing mechanism, and jamming is a frequent occurrence.